10,000+ Portfolio Pieces Representing 37 Categories Showcase Aquent Qualified Talent

Boston (July 2, 2001) — Aquent, the world’s largest talent agency for creative professionals, announced today the launch of its free online portfolios search system. Aquent’s online portfolios system was created to make it easier for clients to find design professionals with the right skill-set and design style to match their specific criteria. This sophisticated Web-based tool, available through the Aquent site at ../../../.., features more than 10,000 portfolio pieces from thousands of freelancers represented by the company’s 38 U.S. offices.

The patent-pending online portfolio system allows visitors to search talent by specific types of portfolio pieces according to design specialty, keyword and location. Using Aquent’s online portfolio system, site visitors can view portfolios representing 37 creative specialties, including graphic and package design, Web animation, production, writers, project managers, and illustration. In addition to portfolios, visitors can browse through talent URLs, talent assessments from the agent who represents that particular talent, talent-created résumés containing details about skills, experience, education and related background information.

When visitors have identified freelancers who interest them, they can call Aquent directly for more information, or click an “express interest” button to have an Aquent representative contact them within 24 hours. In addition, clients can sign up for the company’s PortfolioAlert service, which will e-mail them new portfolio pieces that meet their criteria.

The talent search, simplified

“Our online portfolios system was developed to help clients zero in on exactly the kind of creative experience and design style they need. It’s a simple but sophisticated way for organizations to find their perfect creative match,” says John Chuang, Aquent’s Co-founder and CEO. “But what really sets our online portfolios system apart from others, is that it represents work created by talent who have been through Aquent’s rigorous screening process.”

Whether clients use online portfolios or call an Aquent Agent directly for assistance, any talent they hire through the company has undergone a rigorous screening process, including a portfolio review, behavior-based interview, thorough reference checks, and real-world proprietary skills assessments. Ultimately, Aquent represents only 10 percent of the freelancers who interview with the company, helping to ensure that clients hire the best creative talent available.

Aquent’s CIO Chris Moody notes that the system also helps clients communicate their design needs more clearly to Aquent’s Agents. “Our site visitors now have the ability to do very detailed searches for a certain design style or industry experience, rather than just a specific set of skills, which is common with most talent search functions,” he says. “Instead of trying to articulate a certain style that they like, a customer can refer an Agent to a particular portfolio piece as an example of what he or she needs.”

Benefits for talent

Online portfolios offer many benefits to Aquent’s talent pool. It gives them an easy way to maintain and update their portfolios (not just samples, but an entire portfolio of work), resumes, skills and other pertinent information online. The system is part of Aquent’s unique MyAquent online function, which provides talent with their own “virtual Aquent office.” MyAquent allows talent to access directions to job sites, enter timecard information, review their work schedule, view payroll and benefits information and more. Since its launch last fall, almost 5,000 of Aquent’s creative professionals use the system regularly.
In addition to online portfolios, Aquent also offers free hosting of portfolio Web sites on the company’s servers. Says Moody, “Our site gets more than 40,000 unique visitors each week, which means that the talent can get a lot of exposure hosting their sites with us.”

Clients or talent who are interested in learning more about Aquent’s online portfolios, call 1-877-2-AQUENT/1-877-227-8368 to reach the nearest Aquent branch in North America. Or, check out our “worldwide locations” page at www.aquent.com for the office nearest you.

About Aquent

Aquent (www.aquent.com) is the world’s largest talent agency for creative professionals. In its 15-year history, Aquent has made more than 200,000 matches of independent professionals with client companies worldwide, and had revenues topping $200 million last year. Headquartered in Boston, Aquent leverages both the Internet and a network of 57 offices in 12 countries to provide independent professionals access to work, training - and the same insurance, retirement, and cash-flow management benefits enjoyed by traditional W-2 workers.